18-year-old says security staff ignored alert that rape was in progress
An 18-year-old woman has filed suit against a popular Dallas nightclub saying the club created the very conditions that led to her sexual assault in a restroom there, then did nothing to help her after her friend alerted security that the attack was in progress.
According to the lawsuit, Club VIVO routinely admits 18-year-old girls – who are below the legal drinking age of 21 – and serves them alcohol, while at the same time allowing men to enter only if they are at least 21 years old.
“They’re basically creating an environment perfect for predators,” says Charla Aldous of Aldous\Walker. “They allow these young girls to come in, they pour alcohol into them and then they stand by and do nothing when older men attack them.”
For video of Ms. Aldous discussing the case click here.
The victim, identified as Jane Doe in the filing, is an 18-year-old college student who visited Club VIVO in December 2023. Though she had an “X” on her hand – indicating she was too young to drink – bartenders served her anyway and continued to serve her even after she was intoxicated.
Then, at about 1:30 a.m., and in full view of the club’s security staff, a man dragged her upstairs to the restroom and violently raped her. In the middle of the attack, Jane sent a text message to a friend who was at the club, telling her that she was being sexually assaulted. But when that friend told security, they did nothing.
The woman has since reported the attack to the Dallas Police Department. The investigation is ongoing.
The legal filing includes online comments from women who have visited Club VIVO and chronicled the predatory behavior aimed at 18-year-old women. “It’s full of underage kids and predators,” one woman writes, while another says, “… it’s just a sketchy club for young girls so be safe.”
“This club is making significant amounts of money by fostering an unsafe and threatening environment for young women, and they will continue to profit from their negligent business practices until someone puts a stop to it,” says attorney Eleanor Aldous.
The case is Jane Doe v Kevin Kristian 2612 et al., Cause No. CC-24-04482-A in the Dallas County Court at Law No. 1.